Full List – Fastest Fifties in WBBL History

Since the Women’s Big Bash League began in 2015, it has become a stage for fearless hitting, with batters increasingly treating powerplays, middle overs and death overs as opportunities to change matches in minutes. The fastest WBBL half-centuries capture that evolution: from Tess Flintoff’s record-breaking 16-ball burst in 2022 to Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Devine and Grace Harris producing 21-ball fifties in WBBL 12. These knocks are not merely statistical curiosities; they reflect the competition’s growing depth of power, skill and match-winning intent.

Tess Flintoff (Melbourne Stars) {16 Balls} Vs Adelaide Strikers  WBBL 08 [2022].

Tess Flintoff owns the fastest fifty in WBBL history, reaching the milestone in just 16 balls for Melbourne Stars against Adelaide Strikers in the 8th season of the WBBL in 2022. Her unbeaten 51* came off just 16 balls, scoring at a strike rate of 318.75. Her knock included 6 boundaries and 3 maximums. The Melbourne Stars won that game by 22 runs, after posting 186/5. Tess Flintoff was awarded Player of the Match. Tess Flintoff ended the season with 116 runs at a strike rate of 165.71 and an average of 23.20 in seven innings and 11 matches with the bat in that season.  She also took four wickets in 11 innings with the ball that season.

Flintoff’s innings on 2nd November 2022 at North Sydney Oval, Sydney remains the benchmark for explosive batting in the league. At only 19 at the time, she combined clean striking with remarkable composure, producing a knock that still stands alone at the top of the charts.

Laura Harris (Brisbane Heat) {18 balls} Vs Hobart Hurricanes  WBBL 08 [2022].

Laura Harris produced one of the competition’s most brutal cameos in WBBL 08 in 2022, racing to a half-century off 18 balls for Brisbane Heat against Hobart Hurricanes on 6th November 2022 at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, just four days after Tess Flintoff’s masterclass. Laura Harris smashed an unbeaten 68* (29 balls) in a run chase of 165. Her knock included 9 boundaries and 3 maximums. The Brisbane Heat won that game by 4 wickets. Laura Harris was awarded Player of the Match.

She scored 270 runs at a strike rate of 204.54 and an average of 22.50 in 15 innings, including an unbeaten half-century in 16 matches that season.

Laura Harris’s knock demonstrated the value of a batter capable of seizing a game in a handful of overs. Four years later, her 18-ball effort remained jointly the second-fastest fifty in the competition’s history.

Ashleigh Gardner (Sydney Sixers) {18 Balls} Vs Sydney Thunder  WBBL 12 [2026].

Ashleigh Gardner matched Harris’s 18-ball landmark in the ongoing 12th edition, reaching fifty in 18 deliveries for Sydney Sixers against Sydney Thunder in the Sydney Smash at North Sydney Oval on 8th November 2026. She stayed unbeaten on 64* (25 balls) in the 1st innings, scoring at a strike rate of 256. Her knock included five boundaries and five maximums. Sydney Sixers posted 162/2 in their quota of overs. Sixers won that game by 9 runs. Ashleigh Gardner was awarded the Player of the Match.

Ashleigh Gardner’s innings was especially significant because it came while leading the Sixers in a rain-reduced 16-over contest. Dropped on the first ball she faced, she made Thunder pay heavily, sharing an unbeaten 97-run stand with Ellyse Perry as Sydney Sixers won by nine runs.

She is currently the leading run-scorer for the Sydney Sixers and the 4th highest run-scorer of the tournament with 246 runs at a strike rate of 184.96 and an average of 61.50 in five innings, including a half-century and a century in five matches with the bat. She is the leading wicket-taker for the Sydney Sixers and the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 11 wickets at an average of 12.27 and an economy of 8.43 in five innings with the ball in the tournament so far.

Rhys McKenna (Melbourne Stars) {21 Balls} Vs Sydney Sixers,  WBBL 10 [2024].

Rhys McKenna announced herself among the WBBL’s quickest scorers with a 21-ball half-century for Melbourne Stars against Sydney Sixers on 1st November 2024 at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney, in WBBL 10. She scored 52 (22 balls) in the 1st innings, scoring at a strike rate of 236.36, with her knock including 7 boundaries and three maximums. The Stars won that game by 32 runs, with McKenna earning the Player of the Match. Rhys McKenna scored 138 runs at a strike rate of 181.57 and an average of 19.71 in 8 innings, including a half-century in 9 matches with the bat for her side in that edition. Her innings placed her alongside some of the league’s most established power-hitters.

For the Stars, McKenna’s knock was a reminder that young Australian batters can translate domestic white-ball promise into high-impact T20 performances. Reaching fifty in 21 balls demands sustained boundary-hitting rather than one lucky over, making her achievement all the more impressive.

Sophie Molineux (Melbourne Renegades) {21 Balls} Vs Adelaide Strikers, WBBL 10 [2024].

Sophie Molineux joined the 21-ball club on 3rd November 2024 at Junction Oval, Melbourne, in WBBL 10 in 2024, striking a rapid half-century for Melbourne Renegades against Adelaide Strikers. It was a defining display of the left-armer’s ability to contribute explosively with the bat as well as with the ball. She scored 64 (32 balls) coming in at number 7, scoring at a strike rate of 200. Her knock included 9 boundaries and 3 maximums, chasing a target of 158. Renegades won that game by 2 wickets, and Sophie Molineux clinched the Player of the Match. She scored 140 runs at a strike rate of 155.55 and an average of 28 in 6 innings, including a half-century in 7 matches with the bat in that season. With the ball, she ended as the leading wicket-taker for her side with 16 wickets at an average of 12.06 and an economy of 7.14 in seven innings, including a couple of four-wicket hauls in 7 matches in that season.

Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers) {21 Balls} Vs Melbourne Stars, WBBL 12 [2026].

Sophie Devine produced the fastest fifty of her WBBL career in the ongoing season, on 8th November 2026, at North Sydney Oval, Sydney, reaching the milestone off 21 balls for Perth Scorchers against Melbourne Stars. She finished with 55 from 24 deliveries, including eight fours and three sixes, as the Scorchers chased down 137 with six wickets in hand. Sophie Devine was awarded the Player of the Match.

She is currently the leading run-scorer for the Perth Scorchers with 192 runs at a strike rate of 135.21 and an average of 38.40 in six innings, including a half-century in 6 matches with the bat for her side in the tournament so far. With the ball, she has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 13.27 and an economy of 7.30 in six innings, including a four-wicket haul in 6 matches, placing her as the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament alongside the Sydney Sixers skipper Ashleigh Gardner. It was a classic Devine performance: immediate aggression, relentless pressure on the bowlers and a decisive contribution in a winning cause.

Grace Harris (Brisbane Heat) {21 Balls} Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 12. [2026].

Grace Harris completed the latest cluster of 21-ball fifties in ongoing WBBL 12, reaching fifty in 21 deliveries for Brisbane Heat against Hobart Hurricanes. She finished unbeaten on 52 from 22 balls as Heat chased 87 in just 5.4 overs without losing a wicket. Grace Harris is currently the 3rd highest run-scorer for the Brisbane Heat with 161 runs at a strike rate of 159.40 and an average of 32.20 in six innings, including a couple of half-centuries in 6 matches with the bat for her side in the ongoing edition so far. She has also picked up a couple of wickets in one bowling innings so far.

Harris’s innings on 14th November 2026 at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart, was part of a record-breaking powerplay, with Brisbane adding 62 in the first four overs. Her knock reinforced her reputation as one of the WBBL’s most feared strikers, capable of turning even a modest chase into a statement of dominance.

What makes this list compelling is its recency: five of the seven fastest WBBL fifties have come in the last three editions. including three in WBBL 12. Flintoff’s 16-ball record has survived, but Gardner, Devine and Harris have shown that the chasing pack is closing in.

As the WBBL enters its second decade, these innings illustrate the competition’s central appeal: elite cricketers capable of deciding the momentum of the game before the innings has properly settled. If the current trend continues, Flintoff’s 16-ball record may not remain untouched for long.

Yash Tailor

I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.